Do You Believe In Second Chances?
by Midnyght Saber
Summary: After finding himself mysteriously in the Ghost Zone and separated from Danny Fenton, Danny Phantom seeks a way back into the real world, and in the process, saves young Fenton's life, returning them to the hero they will always be.


**Disclaimer:** _Danny Phantom_ and all related characters and information are the property of Butch Hartman and Viacom International Inc. "Serenity" is the property of Godsmack and Republic Records, a subsidiary of The Universal Motown/Universal Republic Group.

* * *

Sometimes, I hated him. He kept me a secret, and Sam and Tucker were the only ones to know of my existence. In some ways, I didn't mind it. After all, in some ways, I was alive once more, something more than just another ghost. I was human…well, actually, half-human.

**As I sit here and slowly close my eyes**

**I take another deep breath**

**And feel the wind pass through my body**

Before Danny Fenton's accident, I was just another one of many ghosts, lost, alone, and drifting from place to place in the Ghost Zone. I don't remember how I died, and all that I can remember for sure was the deathly chill that came with being a ghost - with being dead.

I don't remember if I had a spectral form or not, and for all I knew and cared after the accident, I could have been an ectoplasmic blob.

Maybe it was fate that I had been floating around right where Jack's Portal ripped into the Ghost Zone. Maybe it was meant to happen that I got caught in that explosion.

**I'm the one in your soul**

**Reflecting inner light**

**Protect the ones who hold you**

**Cradling your inner child**

All that I remember after that blinding flash of light was waking up and seeing myself as a pseudo-human, and I felt elated beyond reason that I had been given a second chance at life. In that joy, I became who I am right then - Danny Phantom, ghost-hunting hybrid.

By accident and chance, Danny Fenton and I both had new purpose in life.

**I need serenity**

**And a place where I can hide**

There was something absolutely amazing about what we'd become. I'd sit behind the scenes as he went about his everyday activities, but whenever we'd sense a ghost nearby, I took control.

**I need serenity**

**Nothing changes**

**Days go by**

I became one with him - Fenton and Phantom had become one in the same, as both of us found freedom in the other, and over time, I had obtained all of his memories.

He's led a difficult life so far, taunted and jeered for his parents' unusual career choice, and once I felt that I had gotten to know him, I tried to help him where I could. A truly selfless person at heart, I did whatever I could to allow him to access my powers, though it took a while for me to figure out how to access ghost powers on a hybrid plane.

That was one of the few things that bothered me - neither of us were pure halves. His emotions would trigger radically uncontrolled bursts of my abilities, and my desire to be human once more occasionally limited the use of the powers we shared. In a way, my own selfish ambitions bit down against his lofty ideals and slowed his learning, and that is something I am truly sorry for.

**Where do we go when we just don't know?**

**And how do we re-light the flame when it's cold?**

Now, I don't have a clue what's going on. Though I still look like Danny Phantom, I'm a pure ghost once more, and I think that something might have happened in the lab that tore me away from my human half. I'm completely astonished that I wasn't destroyed this time, and though I've tried phazing through the Portal time and time again since then, I just can't get through.

**Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing?**

**And when will we learn to control?**

I want so bad to be a hybrid once more, and I would give anything to go back to that life, to be whole once more. I've grown too accustomed to that life to give it up now.

I fail to understand why I alone cannot penetrate the Portal, but once more, I'll give it a try. Trying hard not to focus on my past failures, I let my thoughts focus on being Danny Phantom, on being hybrid. Something is weighing down on my heart, though, and I'm almost certain that it's the void that remains inside of me ever since I was returned here.

**Tragic visions that slowly stole my life**

**Tore away everything**

**Cheating me out of my time**

My thoughts drifted back, once more, to the few minutes prior to my ignominious return to the Zone. One minute, I was watching from behind Danny's eyes as he read through another page of homework Lancer had assigned. The next thing I know, there's a sharp biting sensation near my midsection, and I'm suddenly piecing myself back together in the Ghost Zone.

Looking up to make sure that my wandering thoughts haven't steered me off-course, I stopped. It couldn't be, could it? He couldn't have gotten into the Zone without me. Flying over, however, my thoughts and fears are verified - it's him.

Danny's breathing was markedly shallow, and as I rested my hand against his shoulder, I could tell, even in this harsh and frigid environment, just how cold he was. It was strange to feel him like this, far colder than any human should ever be.

That touch served yet another purpose as flashes of memory flew through my mind, and his unexpected presence was explained. If I had the means by which to cry, I would have - he'd sacrificed his own life because he had lost me.

**I'm the one who loves you**

**No matter wrong or right**

**And every day I hold you**

**I hold you with my inner child**

Shaking him gently, I waited until his eyes, hollow and vacant, opened slowly. His body stiffened at the shock, but as numb as the Zone had made him, there was little else he could do but stare at me. Smiling softly, without speaking a word, I tried to comfort him.

**I need serenity**

**And a place where I can hide**

I wasn't going to let him go like this. I wouldn't let him die. He'd sacrificed his human form, albeit unwillingly, to give me a second chance at life. The least that I could do for him was to give him a second chance at his own life, another chance to be what we had made of ourselves.

Letting my body slip into intangibility, I slowly phazed into him, feeling my own spectral essence meld with his soul. Smiling as two familiar rings of light passed over our body, I silently assured him that I would handle everything. He was too cold and too near death to be able to move in the Zone.

**I need serenity**

**Nothing changes**

**Days go by**

Phazing through the Portal, elated by the fact that I could, once more, explore the human realm, I flew upstairs into his bedroom. Looking around, I found the note that I had seen in his memories, and with a small burst of ectoplasm, the note disintegrated in my hand. No one ever needed to know about it.

Hovering over the bed, I rolled our body into the covers, settling our body down on the soft mattress before withdrawing back into his body, letting his human side show once more.

**Where do we go when we just don't know?**

We'd reached the darkest part of our respective lives, and we had come out no worse for the wear.

**And how do we re-light the flame when it's cold?**

With this incident, we realized how much we really need each other, and I swear, this time, there would be nothing that could hurt us. I know that he heard me subconsciously, and I felt his affirmation of this.

This time, the world would know. Everyone would find out about us.

**Why do we dream when our thoughts mean nothing?**

As unreal as all of this had seemed, we knew that it was one of those ordeals that would have either broken us or made us stronger.

We'd be fine. All he needs is his rest. Still suffering from his trauma in the Zone, he shivers under the covers, and I reach out, using my own energy to help stabilize him, keeping the chill under control.

**And when will we learn to control?**

I felt a sudden surge within me, and though I was uncertain if it had been his emotions or mine, there was one thing we were absolutely certain of. Danny Phantom was back, and this time…

No ghost was going to be able to hold us down.


End file.
